The coins in circulation at Makkah and Madinah were similar to that of the ones men-
tioned in the section covering Makkah. However, as the inhabitants of Madinah had to
transact their business in food grains and fruits, they had more of their dealings with meas-
ures of capacity. These quantitative measures were Mudd, S’a, Faraq, ‘Araq and Wasaq. The
measures of weight prevalent in Madinah were dirham, shihaq, danaq, qirat, naqwat ratl,
qintar and auqiya.
Madinah had a fertile soil but it was not self-sufficient in food-grains that it had to import
some of the foodstuffs required by it. Flour, clarified butter and honey were brought from
Syria. At-Tirmidhi relates on the authority of Qatada b. N’uman that the staple diet of the
people of Madinah consisted of dates and barley. But those who were rich used to purchase
flour from the Syrian merchants for their own consumption while others had to contend
with dates and barley. This report brings to light the culinary habits as well as the disparity
in the standards of living of the well-to-do and the poorer sections of the society in Madinah
existing before the migration of the Prophet (r).
In Madinah, the Jews constituted the affluent class while the Arab tribesman, like other
naïve and guileless Bedouins, were not bothered about the future and did not even concern
themselves on saving for the rainy days. Apart from that, generosity was in their blood,
which manifested itself in selflessly spending for the entertainment of their guests. Naturally
enough, they were very often forced to borrow money with interest from the Jews by pledg-
ing their personal property.
The livestock raised by the people consisted, for the most part, of camels, cows and ewes.
Even then, the camels were also employed for irrigating the agricultural lands wherein they
are finally called as Al-Ibil un-Nawadeh when used in such manner. Madinah had several
pastures, of which the two, Dhoghabata and Ghaba, were more well-known. Residents of
Madinah used to put their flocks for grazing on these pasturelands, while at the same time
making such grazing grounds as their source of firewood. They reared horses as well, though
not in the same scale as did the inhabitants of Makkah, for military operations. Banu Sulaym
were distinguished for their horsemanship although they used to import their horses from
other regions.
Madinah had a number of markets, the most important of which was the one conducted
by Bani Qaynuqaa which consisted of silver and gold ornaments, clothes and other handi-
works, cotton and silk fabrics. Varied carpets and curtains with decorative designs were
normally available in this market. Similarly, there were shopkeepers who sold ambergris and
quicksilver. (Al-Taratib al-Dariyah, Vol. IV, p. 258)
The social and cultural life of the common people in Madinah was, thanks to their elegant
taste, fairly well advanced. Two-storied houses were common in the region, where some of
these had even attached kitchen gardens. The people were used to drinking sweet water,
which had to be often conducted from a distance. Cushions were used for sitting and the
household utensils included bowls and drinking vessels made of stones and glasses. Lamps